Pentagon cuts ties with 'woke' Harvard, ending military training

The Pentagon has announced it is severing ties with Harvard University

As part of this decision, all military training programs and fellowships with Harvard will be discontinued. This move follows ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard over ideological differences. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that Harvard's 'woke' ideologies do not align with the goals of the War Department or the military services. The announcement affects graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs starting from the 2026-27 academic year. Personnel currently attending classes at Harvard will be able to finish those courses. Similar programs at other Ivy League universities will be evaluated in coming weeks. Hegseth, who earned a master's degree from Harvard but symbolically returned his diploma in a 2022 Fox News segment, resurfaced the clip on Pentagon social media, writing 'Return to Sender' on it. The military offers graduate-level education opportunities through both war colleges and civilian institutions like Harvard. While these opportunities are less directly beneficial to a servicemember's military career than their civilian counterparts, they help make troops more attractive employees once they leave the military. Tensions between the White House and Harvard have been ongoing, with Trump administration officials cutting billions in federal research funding for Harvard and attempting to block it from enrolling foreign students after campus rebuff of government demands last April. The White House claims it's punishing Harvard for tolerating anti-Jewish bias on campus, while Harvard leaders argue they're facing illegal retaliation for failing to adopt the administration's ideological views. Harvard sued the administration in two lawsuits, with a federal judge siding with Harvard in both cases. The administration is appealing. Tensions eased over the summer as Trump teased a deal that was never finalized. On Monday, President Trump demanded $1 billion from Harvard as part of any deal to restore federal funding, doubling his previous demand. This move has significant implications for both military education and the ongoing disputes between the Trump administration and Harvard.